Day 05 of 21
Craft of Cloth · Yarn math · 40s, 80s, 120s
Yarn Count, Demystified
Day 5 of 21. Yarn count is just a fineness number — bigger is finer. Easy rule for your customer: bigger number = finer yarn = lighter cloth = higher price.
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Today's Lesson Begins
Why a 120s cotton kurta costs four times a 40s one
📏
40S, 80S, 120S
Day 5 · Yarn math
Yarn Count, Demystified
The number on the label that decides everything.
The Idea
Yarn count is just a fineness number — bigger is finer.
The number you see on a fabric label — 40s, 80s, 120s — is the cotton yarn count. It measures how many 840-yard hanks weigh one pound. More hanks per pound means each hank is lighter, which means each yarn is thinner. A 120s yarn is three times finer than a 40s yarn. That fineness is what makes 120s mulmul feel like silk on the skin.
Easy rule for your customer: bigger number = finer yarn = lighter cloth = higher price. 40s for daily wear, 80s for premium, 120s+ for heirloom.
The depth ladder
Common cotton counts you'll see in India
Each step up is a thinner yarn, a lighter cloth, and a different price tier.
Yarn fineness (relative)
Coarse · denim, canvas
Workwear
Workhorse · daily kurta, shirt
Everyday
Premium shirting, fine mulmul
Premium
Heirloom mulmul · woven on rain-day humidity
Heirloom
Higher count needs longer staple cotton · Suvin spins to 200s+
Side by side
How each count behaves
Same fibre, four different cloths — entirely because of how thin the yarn was spun.
🪡
20s
Mark
Heavy canvas
Denim, sturdy basics
Workwear
🌿
40s
Mark
Daily kurta
Workhorse · mid-weight
Everyday
✨
80s
Mark
Fine shirting
Premium hand · light drape
Premium
👑
120s
Mark
Heirloom mulmul
Almost weightless · silky
Heirloom
In a customer DM
How to explain it
When she asks "why is this kurta so light?"
Don't say "it's premium cotton." Name the count. Name what the count means in her hand.
"This is 120s mulmul, ma'am — the yarn is so fine that one kurta weighs less than 100 grams. It almost floats on the body. That's why it costs more than the daily-wear 40s ones — three times the finesse, three times the spinning work."
Today's anchor: Yarn count is a fineness number. Higher number = thinner yarn = lighter cloth = higher price. 40s is your workhorse cotton — daily kurtas, shirts. 80s is premium. 120s is heirloom mulmul that almost floats. The single number that tells your customer why one cloth costs four times another.
Day 5 Quiz · 3 Questions
Answer to mark your attendance
Get all three right and you stay in the running for the top-3 craft gift.
Question 1
Between 40s, 80s, and 120s cotton yarn — which is the finest?
A
40s
B
80s
C
120s
D
All three are the same
Question 2
What does a higher yarn count physically mean for the cloth in your hand?
A
The cloth is heavier and stiffer
B
The yarn is thinner, so the cloth is lighter and finer
C
The cotton is whiter
D
The cloth shrinks more in the first wash
Question 3
A customer asks why two of your kurtas — both labelled cotton — have such different prices. The honest reply:
A
"One is 40s yarn, the other is 120s. The 120s yarn is three times finer — that's why it feels almost weightless and costs more."
B
"They are from different countries."
C
"One is hand-made, the other is machine-made."
D
"The colours need different dyes."
WhatsApp Number
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